Meet the Team
We’re here
to champion
volunteering.
Our Team
Shirleyann Varney
An outcomes-focused, transformational leader, she is passionate about investing in people and technology to achieve exceptional workplace cultures and high-quality service provision to advance an organisation’s vision.
A key driver for Shirleyann is to be a part of the solution. As the CEO of Volunteering Tasmania, she has the privilege of witnessing the powerful effect of volunteering in the Tasmanian economy and the delight of working with the team at Volunteering Tasmania to advocate for systemic advancements to support the volunteering workforce that sustains Tasmanian communities.
Kate Crawford
Kate enjoys volunteering on various boards as well as for Variety the Children’s Charity Tasmania with her TasBash car – Puff the Magic Dragon. Kate loves spending time with her family and enjoys creating memories together!
Bridget Delaney
Having grown up in Tasmania, Bridget loves to get lost in the bush, throw around some kettlebells and cuddle her dog Bruno.
Mel Blake
Mel is based out of the North West of the State where she enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, walking her dog and reading a good book.
Rhonda Wilson
She is based in NorthWest Tasmania, loves adventuring in nature with her family throughout the State, and is currently trying to establish fruit trees on her acreage.
Dawn Green
Dawn is our communications coordinator, juggling social media, website content, media engagement, brand management and overseeing communications across the organisation.
Dawn calls the Southern Beaches region of Tassie home, and she loves bush walking, reading, and playing badminton occasionally. She dreams of creating a food forest on her property.
Sapph Bettago
Sapph works alongside our members, the community and government to develop policy and advocacy positions that highlight the voices and needs of the volunteering sector. As a social worker, she is passionate about social justice and is intrigued by the opportunities that volunteering offers to demonstrate active citizenship. Sapph enjoys camping and hiking, being in the ocean, and all things creative.
Sharon Wright
Sharon works as the Safeguarding Project Coordinator, working alongside councils and communities to share their knowledge and skills to develop community-led volunteer strategies to ensure sustainable volunteering into the future. Born in Tassie, but having worked and lived half her life overseas, she loves being back here. Sharon is passionate about community, making a difference and building positive connections. She enjoys hiking, reading, being active and taking on new adventures.
Nicole Crook
She loves getting out and about in the great outdoors but also enjoys curling up by the fire with a good book.
Theresa Canning
Theresa joined the team in February 2022 as a project officer, primarily managing events. She has a background in Human Resource and people management. In her new role as coordinator of the Inclusive Volunteering Program, she aims to bring her people skills to provide support to people with disability or mental health conditions into volunteering roles as a pathway to employment, and to build capacity in the sector around diversity and inclusion.
In her free time, Theresa enjoys long beach walks with her husband and two Cocker Spaniels.
Sharon Phelps
Sharon works as the Finance and Payroll Coordinator. Providing effective management of all finance and payroll related operations. She loves to travel and spends most weekends camping with her family. She is involved with many sporting associations and currently volunteers her time across these. Sharon was also a Volunteer Ambulance Officer for nine years and a Volunteer Literacy Support Tutor with Libraries Tasmania for two years.
Ruth Osborne
A passionate advocate for community led change, Ruth works in our Community Connections team coordinating and initiating state-wide projects which support a more inclusive and accessible volunteering experience for identified priority groups. With a strong desire to make a positive difference in the world, Ruth also dedicates her time to leading climate action and sustainability initiatives in her local community.
Our Volunteers
Our small team of volunteers support a variety of activities in the work we do at Volunteering Tasmania.
Current volunteers include:
Caroline Cochrane
Caroline has been a long-standing volunteer with our team. She kickstarted her volunteering journey back in 2005 when she became a board member with Volunteering Tasmania until 2008. She has helped out with everything from administration to being on the board to being on a Participant Advisory Group and contributing to papers on inclusion. On the board, she worked on the policies which included raising the profile of Volunteering Tasmania. Caroline loves spending time with her dog, Poppy, getting out in the garden and doing jigsaw puzzles.
Teva Lau
Tevas commenced as a volunteer with Volunteering Tasmania in February 2023, in our Volunteer Referral Service. As a Volunteer Connector, Tevas supports other volunteers by assessing their skills, interests and availability, providing advice on current volunteering opportunities and connecting them to one of the many positions online. Tevas relocated to Australia from Hong Kong in 2021 and has 13 years’ experience with the Agency for Volunteer Service in Hong Kong. Tevas holds a master’s degree in counselling and has recently completed his Aged Care Certificate at TasTAFE. He also volunteers at Lady Nelson and Tasmanian Sail Training Association and the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Hobart Donor Centre. In his spare time, Tevas enjoys playing soccer and cooking.
Our Board
Jo Westwood
Jo brings extensive public policy expertise to the Volunteering Tasmania Board. She has firsthand experience in state and local government and is passionate about improving the lives of Tasmanians.
Jo is motivated to contribute to the work of Volunteering Tasmania to increase connectedness and raise awareness of the impact of volunteering on community wellbeing.
As an active volunteer, she understands the rewards and challenges the sector faces.
Jo has a Bachelor of Commerce and Professional Honours in public sector leadership and management. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
In her spare time Jo can be found caravanning with her husband, four young children and their dog.
Chris Brookwell
Chris has experience as an executive within Tasmanian Government business enterprises, with a focus on strategy, governance, finance, people and technology. He enjoys mobilising and shaping teams to tackle complex issues.
A Chartered Accountant (originally in England), he has qualified as a company secretary through the Governance Institute of Australia’s Applied Corporate Governance diploma. Chris is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is a self-confessed lifelong-learner, with recent courses covering cyber and the executive strategy programme at the University of Oxford.
Chris commenced with Volunteering Tasmania in September 2022 as Shadow Treasurer.
In his free time, Chris enjoys caravanning with his wife and 3 children, volunteering as a coach for the Kingborough Lions Football Club (soccer) and practicing kung fu.
Lynne Hanlon
Lynne has been a volunteer with a number of organisations for many years, including Loui’s Van, The Story Island Project, Lifeline Tasmania, and the Friends of the Theatre Royal. She also spent a number of years as a volunteer, coaching hockey and soccer.
Lynne was a teacher and principal for many years in primary schools, high schools and colleges, where she saw the difference made by the huge input from parents as volunteers in schools. Her background on Boards is in the education sector – The Tasmanian Qualifications Authority, the Schools Registration Board, Chair of the Story Island Project Board.
Lynne currently works for Lifeline Australia, supporting volunteers who answer the Lifeline phones. She fully understands the importance of volunteer work and is passionate about having that work recognised for its value to the community.
Cameron Scott
Cameron is a passionate volunteer with a track record of committed service in a variety of causes within the Tasmanian community. Currently, he is President of Make-A-Wish, Hobart Branch, where he leads 30 volunteers in granting wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. He volunteers for the Australian Human Resources Institute Tasmanian State Council as Vice President and serves in the Army Reserves. He has also volunteered for Edmund Rice Camps over the last 10 years.
Outside of his volunteer activities Cameron works in the recruitment industry where he is a Team Manager with Hays. In 2019 he was recognised as a finalist and semi-finalist in the Tasmanian Young Achiever of the year Awards in Leadership and Volunteering.
Cameron holds a BA (Policy)-BBus (HR Mgt), BPhil (Leadership) and GradCert Career Development & Education.
Madeleine Figg
Madeleine has worked in the legal sector for approximately 8 years and is currently employed by the Department of Justice. In addition to her legal knowledge, she also brings experience in the policy and law reform space.
She has personal volunteering experience over a number of years in a range of not-for-profit and community based organisations, including within the legal, education and disability sectors. She currently sits on the board of Riding for the Disabled Tasmania and recognises the important contribution of volunteers to the Tasmanian community.
Madeleine holds a BA-LLB(Hons) and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice
Jacob Miller
Jacob has been a passionate volunteer since their early schooling. They have volunteered for many organisations including Australian Catholic University, Calvary Health Care, and for over 15 years with St Vincent de Paul Society where in 2021 they concluded their term as National Director. Jacob sees strength in diversity and is passionate about equity and inclusion – they currently sit on the board of Working it Out.
Professionally, Jacob works in charity retail, a sector relying on volunteers to raise funds for charitable causes.
They are currently Senior Manager – Op Shops at Uniting Vic Tas, leading the strategic direction and operations of a network of op shops across Victoria and Tasmania, engaging over 450 volunteers.
Jacob holds a Bachelor of Theology and post graduate study in education, change management and governance with ACU, AIM, and AICD.
Favour David-Onu
Favour brings a diverse skill set to the Volunteering Tasmania board. A strategic thinker, Favour has a track record of successful community service honed over a decade of volunteering in Tasmania. Favour is a growth and development enthusiast, constantly engaging in career and individual development, and she has a Masters in Clinical Oncology Nursing.
The Tasmania Health Service employs Favour with more than 15 years of multidiscipline experience in nursing. She is a committed and passionate community builder through integration, social cohesion, and development. She volunteers in both religious, social, CALD communities and not-for-profit organisations.
Favour is the current vice president of the African Community Council of Tasmania (ACCT), an executive member of the Tasmanian Catholic Schools Parents Council (TCSPC) and a board member of the Multicultural Council of Tasmania (MCOT).
Favour is married to David and is blessed with four amazing kids. She enjoys cooking, singing, travelling, and playing basketball.
Sarah Wilcox
Sarah is a communications, engagement, and event management professional with strong experience in commercial, public sector and not-for-profit organisations. Sarah brings previous board experience including being the Deputy Chair of the Aboriginal Heritage Council of Tasmania for a period of four years 2017-2021, where she contributed to the development of government relationships and data management to improve transparency and accountability to the community.
Sarah holds previous experience working with Volunteering Tasmania during the Huon Valley bushfires in 2019 as the media and communications consultant for Huon Valley Council and worked out of the evacuation centre. During this time she saw firsthand the positive and critical impact volunteers had in the emergency response during that challenging time.
As a Tasmanian Aboriginal woman, Sarah is committed to the empowerment of diverse voices and equitable practices in community organisations, and has presented at various conferences to advocate for meaningful and cultural communications and engagement practices.
Sarah upholds core values and beliefs centred on collaboration, social justice, fairness, transparency, integrity and empathy.
Volunteer Connect
Volunteer Connect is a national volunteer referral system which connects volunteers and organisations. It allows people to search for a new volunteer role and for volunteer-involving organisations to advertise for and recruit new volunteers.
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